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Test Bank for Friedland Relyea Environmental Science for AP download pdf full chapter
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Pool Canvas
Add, modify, and remove questions. Select a question type from the Add Question drop-down list and click Go to add questions. Use Creation Settings to establish
which default options, such as feedback and images, are available for question creation.
Question
The death of a billion fish in the Neuse River of North Carolina in 1991 was caused by
Answer sediment.
bacteria.
overfishing the food source of the fish.
Pfiesteria.
acid rain.
Question
Pfiesteria is a
Answer microscopic free living organism.
macroscopic algae.
fungus.
fish.
nutrient.
Question
Pfiesteria has many life stages, including a
I. carnivorous stage.
II. free-floating amoeba stage.
III. stage that allows development of a protective casing.
Answer I only II
only III
only
I and III
I, II, and III
Question
The factor that enabled Pfiesteria to enter the life stage that caused fish kills in the Neuse River of North Carolina is that
Answer all Pfiesteria are dangerous to aquatic life forms.
the development of a protective coat prevented the work of pesticides.
overfishing caused a decrease in predators.
nutrients were added to the water.
drought made conditions appropriate.
Question
The effect of a Pfiesteria outbreak on humans is a(n)
Answer decrease in tourism.
economic loss from decreased seafood sales.
decrease in recreational fishing.
increase of skin sores and nausea.
All of the above
Question
When we discuss “our environment,” we are referring to
Answer all conditions in the world.
only interactions that affect human life.
only conditions that cause negative effects on our health.
primarily interactions that harm the atmosphere.
the sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life.
Question
The study of environmental science is concerned with
Answer the interactions among human systems and those found in nature.
biotic and abiotic interactions with human systems.
only abiotic factors.
only biotic factors.
Both A and B
Question
The Neuse River is considered a system because it involves
Answer components that influence each other irreversibly.
specifically interacting biotic components that influence each other.
interacting abiotic components.
components that interact and influence one another through material or energy change.
components that influence one another only through the water.
Add Question Here
Question
An ecosystem is a location on Earth that includes
I. only biotic components.
II. only abiotic components.
III. interacting living and non-living components.
Answer I only II
only III
only
I and II only
I, II, and III
Question
The difference between an environmentalist and an environmental scientist is
Answer negligible because both care about Earth.
that an environmentalist is involved in a social movement; whereas an environmental scientist is concerned with the methods of
science.
that an environmental scientist has a background in biology and chemistry; whereas an environmentalist studies the humanities.
an environmentalist is generally a radical.
an environmentalist is involved in a social movement; whereas an environmental scientist is concerned with politics.
Question
Environmental Studies cover
Answer ethics.
policy.
literature.
economics.
All of the above
Question
A good example of direct human manipulation of the natural environment is seen in
Answer adding emissions to the atmosphere from driving cars.
converting land from forest to growing crops.
growing clover and wheat in a laboratory.
raising goldfish in a fish tank.
Both A and B
Question
The extinction of mastodons and giant ground sloths in the Americas is attributed to
Answer climatic change.
competition with dinosaurs.
a meteor impact in Central America.
overhunting by humans.
introduction of the American bison which acted as a competitor.
Question
Native Americans on the Great Plains
Answer were responsible for the expansion of the tallgrass prairie.
had hunted the passenger pigeon to extinction by the 1880s.
had hunted the American bison to extinction by the 1880s.
used fire to burn the tallgrass prairie.
were completely gone by the 1600s.
Question
Which is a correct statement from the point of view of an environmental scientist?
Answer Human manipulation of the environment is completely acceptable in any modern society.
Human manipulation of the environment is outpacing the rate at which natural systems can evolve.
Natural systems will evolve at an appropriate rate to compensate for human manipulation.
Natural systems will be undamaged by human interference because engineering discoveries will fix the problems.
Adaptation and relocation are acceptable and reliable solutions for organisms that are affected by climate change.
Question
Ecosystem services
Answer are the processes by which life supporting resources are produced.
can be provided by a forest.
can be provided by an aquifer.
can be provided by soil.
All of the above
Question
Environmental indicators
Answer enable scientists to accurately predict the future of an environment.
describe what is causing a change in the environment.
do not always describe what is causing a change in the environment.
do not provide information that is considered valuable in creating public policy.
Both A and C
Question
Living in an environmentally sustainable way necessitates
Answer using Earth's resources efficiently whenever convenient.
living without basic ecosystem services.
living in a tent.
living in a rural area.
sensitivity to the needs of future generations.
Question
Evidence of biodiversity is seen in the
Answer genetic variation among human populations.
number of species in a region.
number of ecosystems and habitats in a region.
variety of nutrients available in a region.
All of the above
Question
The population with the greatest ability to respond to environmental change most likely is the one with
Answer high genetic diversity.
low genetic diversity.
one type of dominant organism.
two types of dominant organisms.
more animals than plants.
Question
The number of species on Earth that have been identified is approximately
Answer 10 billion.
1 billion.
100 million.
2 million.
5 of 12
100,000.
Question
The number of species on Earth that have not yet been identified is estimated at
Answer 50–100 billion.
5–10 billion.
5–100 million.
1–2 million.
5,000–100,000.
Question
The health of frog populations is used as an indicator of environmental health because frogs
Answer are exposed to the water.
are amphibious.
eat insects which are very low on the food chain.
live in the tropics.
may ingest toxins on land.
Question
The comparison between the rate of speciation and background extinction rate is that
Answer speciation is natural and background extinction rate is human induced.
speciation and background extinction rate are very slow, natural processes.
speciation is much faster than background extinction rate.
environmental stress may cause species to go extinct faster than new ones can evolve.
Both B and D
Question
Two square km is equal to _ square meters.
Answer 200,000
2,000,000
20,000,000
200,000,000
2,000,000,000
Question
Five square miles is equal to acres. (1 square mile = 640 acres)
Answer 0.32
320
2500
3200
32,000
Question
Seventy-five square kilometers is equal to square miles. (1 km = 0.6214 mile)
Answer 28.96
2890
5625
39,600
46.61
Question
2
Twenty square kilometers is equal to _ hectares. (1 hectare = 10,000 m )
Answer 20,000
200
2000
200,000
40
Question
Fifteen hundred acres is closest to _ hectares. (1 hectare = 2.47 acres)
Answer 300
6000
60
3000
600
Question
Total world grain production has
Answer increased fairly steadily since 1950.
dropped dramatically since 1950.
leveled off recently.
increased recently.
gone up and down with no overall trend.
Question
According to Figure 1-1, which of the following statements about the overall trends in per capita wheat production is correct?
Figure 1-1
Answer Per capita wheat production increased from 1950 through the mid-1980s and then started to decrease.
There is no discernible trend.
Between 1950 and 1960, per capita wheat production was stable and then decreased through 2005.
Per capita wheat production has not changed since the 1950s.
Per capita wheat production has steadily increased since the 1950s through today.
Question
Factors that are responsible for grain production not keeping up with worldwide population include
Answer crop diseases.
soil degradation.
use of food crops for fuel.
government encouragement to let land remain uncultivated.
All of the above
Question
New innovations in food production are
Answer sure to find new efficient ways to produce enough food to feed the world.
not keeping pace with food needs of the world.
not needed to keep pace with food needs of the world.
frequently the cause of soil degradation.
Both B and D
Question
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are
Answer concentrated near the equator.
completely the product of human activity.
responsible for constant temperatures near Earth's surface.
causing a decrease in atmospheric temperature.
primarily the result of volcanic activity.
Question
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Answer is increasing in part due to fossil fuel use.
has not significantly changed in the past 200 years.
is increasing in part due to deforestation.
has been decreasing since the 1800s.
Both A and C
Question
Human population today is closest to
Answer 3 billion.
5 billion.
6 billion.
7 billion.
12 billion.
Question
If the worldwide number of births daily is 364,000 and the number of deaths is 152,000, then annually there are an additional _ people.
Answer 7,000,000.
77,380.
100,000,000.
77,380,000.
212,000.
Question
Human population is expected to stabilize at _ by the year _.
Answer 68–105 billion; 2050
68–105 billion; 2100
6.8–10.5 billion; 2100
6.8–10.5 billion; 2150
6.8–10.5 billion; 2200.
Question
The following are non-renewable resources except
Answer aluminum.
oil.
coal.
copper.
timber.
Question
Economic development goes hand in hand with
Answer decreased use of non-renewable resources.
increased consumption of resources.
smaller more efficient living styles.
better planting strategies for crops.
sustainable use of renewable resources.
Question
_ % of the world's most developed population consumes % of the world's energy.
Answer 20; 58
20; 20
10; 90
2; 75
2; 95
Question
The poorest _ % of the world's people consume no more than _ % of the world's energy, paper, fish and meat.
Answer 20: 20
20; 5
5; 20
5; 35
8 of 12
2; 45
Question
If a forest is cleared at a rate of 875 acres per day, approximately how many hectares per year are being cleared?
Answer 2160
319,000
3500
129,000
13,000
Question
If land is cleared at a rate of 456 hectares per week, approximately how many acres per year that are being cleared?
Answer 16,5000
180
9500
66,400
58,600
Question
Sustainable development
Answer was demonstrated on Easter Island.
requires resources to be saved and stored for one generation.
is achieved when food is raised by the people who are eating it.
balances human needs and economic development.
allows for clear-cutting of trees.
Question
The following are examples of sustainable practices.
I. Forests cut for timber are replanted.
II. Steel is recycled.
III. Plastic is disposed of in landfills because that it is less expensive than recycling.
Answer I only
II only
I and III only
I and II only
I, II, and III
Question
Sustainable development would incorporate
Answer the development of alternative materials.
efficient use of energy.
replacement of nutrients in soil.
evaluation of residential patterns.
All of the above
Question
The action that can reduce the ecological footprint of people in the highly developed world to levels that are sustainable is
Answer eating more fish.
shopping only in stores that use organic cotton.
traveling to the developing world.
using more fertilizer.
None of these actions alone will result in a sustainable level of consumption.
Question
The concept of ecological footprint is measured in terms of the amount of
Answer resource an individual consumes daily.
land area.
resources an individual consumes over the course of a lifetime.
resources an entire nation consumes yearly.
resources an individual consumes yearly.
Question
Calculating ecological footprint involves consideration of
Answer the impact of activities on the resources of Earth.
lifestyle.
water usage for crops and direct consumption.
food calories required for continuing normal activity.
All of the above
Question
The world's calculated human ecological footprint is _ % of the Earth's total usable land area.
Answer 40
75
100
125
200
Question
If every person on Earth today lived with the average lifestyle of people in the United States, the land of Earths would be required.
Answer 2
5
8
10
20
Question
Passage 1-1
An experiment is set up to determine if wheat grows better when it is planted by itself or together with clover. The setup involves three pans of each
treatment. Set-ups A, B, and C contain wheat alone. Set-ups D, E, and F contain clover and wheat planted together, in rows alternating one seed of
each type. One hundred seeds are planted in each pan. All treatments contain the same type of soil, are planted in the same size of pan, are
exposed to the same amount of sunlight, and are maintained at the same temperature throughout the course of the experiment.
Reference: Ref 1-1
Use Passage 1-1. The treatments planted with wheat alone are the
Answer constant.
controls.
independent variable.
dependent variable.
replication.
Question
Passage 1-1
An experiment is set up to determine if wheat grows better when it is planted by itself or together with clover. The setup involves three pans of each
treatment. Set-ups A, B, and C contain wheat alone. Set-ups D, E, and F contain clover and wheat planted together, in rows alternating one seed of
each type. One hundred seeds are planted in each pan. All treatments contain the same type of soil, are planted in the same size of pan, are
exposed to the same amount of sunlight, and are maintained at the same temperature throughout the course of the experiment.
Reference: Ref 1-1
Use Passage 1-1. Which of the following statements provides a hypothesis for this experiment?
Answer Wheat grows taller when planted by itself than when it is alternated with clover.
Clover grows better when planted by itself
Wheat grows better when planted together with clover.
Clover grows better when planted together with wheat.
Both A and C
Question
Passage 1-1
An experiment is set up to determine if wheat grows better when it is planted by itself or together with clover. The setup involves three pans of each
treatment. Set-ups A, B, and C contain wheat alone. Set-ups D, E, and F contain clover and wheat planted together, in rows alternating one seed of
each type. One hundred seeds are planted in each pan. All treatments contain the same type of soil, are planted in the same size of pan, are
exposed to the same amount of sunlight, and are maintained at the same temperature throughout the course of the experiment.
Reference: Ref 1-1
Use Passage 1-1. Several setups of each treatment are prepared to fulfill a very important requirement of scientific experimentation, specifically the
need for
Answer replication.
constants.
a control.
an independent variable.
a dependent variable.
10 of 12
Question
Passage 1-1
An experiment is set up to determine if wheat grows better when it is planted by itself or together with clover. The setup involves three pans of each
treatment. Set-ups A, B, and C contain wheat alone. Set-ups D, E, and F contain clover and wheat planted together, in rows alternating one seed of
each type. One hundred seeds are planted in each pan. All treatments contain the same type of soil, are planted in the same size of pan, are
exposed to the same amount of sunlight, and are maintained at the same temperature throughout the course of the experiment.
Reference: Ref 1-1
Question
Passage 1-1
An experiment is set up to determine if wheat grows better when it is planted by itself or together with clover. The setup involves three pans of each
treatment. Set-ups A, B, and C contain wheat alone. Set-ups D, E, and F contain clover and wheat planted together, in rows alternating one seed of
each type. One hundred seeds are planted in each pan. All treatments contain the same type of soil, are planted in the same size of pan, are
exposed to the same amount of sunlight, and are maintained at the same temperature throughout the course of the experiment.
Reference: Ref 1-1
Use Passage 1-1. The dependent variable in this experiment could be the
Answer height of the clover.
number of leaves on the clover.
height of the wheat.
presence of nodules on the roots of the clover.
number of clover seeds that germinate.
Question
A hypothesis is different from a belief because it is
Answer testable.
proven.
the same as a theory.
sensible.
false.
Question
Accuracy is
Answer how close a measured value is to the actual value.
how close a measured value is to repeated measurements of the same sample.
a measurement.
an estimation.
only measured in the metric system.
Question
Precision is
Answer how close a measured value is to the actual value.
how close a measured value is to repeated measurements of the same sample.
a measurement.
an estimation.
only measured in the metric system.
Question
Inductive reasoning
Answer is the process of making general statements from specific facts.
is the process of applying a general statement to specific facts.
doesn't require facts.
is the same thing as a hypothesis.
is the same thing as observation.
Question
Deductive reasoning
Answer is the process of making general statements from specific facts.
is the process of applying a general statement to specific facts.
requires observation.
is the same thing as a hypothesis.
Both B and C
Question
Dissemination of scientific results
Answer is an essential part of the scientific process.
allows for scientists to discuss results.
furthers critical thinking.
assists researchers in developing alternative explanations to observable phenomena.
All of the above
Question
An idea that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers is called a(n)
Answer hypothesis.
induction.
deduction.
theory.
natural law.
Question
A phenomenon that has been rigorously tested and to which there are no known exceptions is called a(n)
Answer hypothesis.
induction.
deduction.
theory.
natural law.
Question
Passage 1-2
An experiment uses two groups of mice with 20 individuals in each group. Both groups are fed the same amount of water and food every day. They
are kept in similar cages in a climate-controlled room. The experimental group is given five doses of a pesticide every day. After two months, the
amount of an enzyme in the brains of the mice was measured.
Reference: Ref 1-2
Question
Passage 1-2
An experiment uses two groups of mice with 20 individuals in each group. Both groups are fed the same amount of water and food every day. They
are kept in similar cages in a climate-controlled room. The experimental group is given five doses of a pesticide every day. After two months, the
amount of an enzyme in the brains of the mice was measured.
Reference: Ref 1-2
Use Passage 1-2. The group of mice not exposed to the pesticide is called the
Answer control.
independent variable.
dependent variable.
experimental constant.
dosage control.
Question
Passage 1-2
An experiment uses two groups of mice with 20 individuals in each group. Both groups are fed the same amount of water and food every day. They
are kept in similar cages in a climate-controlled room. The experimental group is given five doses of a pesticide every day. After two months, the
amount of an enzyme in the brains of the mice was measured.
Reference: Ref 1-2
Answer constants.
controls.
variables.
doses given to the mice.
None of the above
Question
Passage 1-2
An experiment uses two groups of mice with 20 individuals in each group. Both groups are fed the same amount of water and food every day. They
are kept in similar cages in a climate-controlled room. The experimental group is given five doses of a pesticide every day. After two months, the
amount of an enzyme in the brains of the mice was measured.
Reference: Ref 1-2
Question
Controlled experiments in nature are difficult because
Answer it is impossible to determine what kind of conditions are needed for the experiment.
large amounts of land are sometimes required to produce natural conditions.
animals cannot be studied because they do not stay still.
scientists do not like to do the fieldwork required.
Both A and B
Question
Natural experiments can be done when a
Answer natural event changes an ecosystem.
volcanic eruption destroys a forest.
fire sweeps through a prairie.
tornado uproots a section of a forest.
All of the above
Question
Natural experiments lack
Answer any basis for comparison.
an exact replication of the experiment.
similar constants.
a dependent variable.
All of the above
Question
When studies are done to determine the effect of pesticides on humans,
Answer human subjects are used to test the pesticides.
the health of similar groups of people who have not been exposed to the pesticides are used as a basis for comparison.
it is very difficult to find more than a single person exposed.
higher primates are tested because their systems are close to those of humans.
Both A and B
Question
The study of environmental science differs from study of the natural sciences such as biology and chemistry because it
Answer doesn't encourage critical thinking.
isn't included in most institutions of higher learning.
involves politics, law, and economics.
eliminates the consideration of physics.
doesn't take into account the scientific process.
Question
Environmental justice is
Answer the body of law that deals with environmental issues.
the type of legal system that environmental lawyers use to defend nature.
a social movement that works toward equal enforcement of environmental laws in poor communities.
a type of legal punishment for polluters.
not needed because pollution is equitably distributed around the world.
Question
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
Answer If more efficient automobile are built, consumption of gasoline will decrease.
Even though more efficient cars are built, consumer behavior dictates the trend in consumption of gasoline.
Interactions between natural and human-dominated systems are fairly easy to predict.
Interactions between natural and human-dominated systems are complicated to predict.
Both B and D
Question
The San Francisco Sustainability Plan, adopted in 1997,
Answer applies environmental indicators to monitor and encourage sustainable development of the city.
will never be put into place.
relies on consumers to create a market for eco-friendly products.
ignores the need for public education.
ignores the principles of economics.
Question
Which of the following are environmental indicators used to show that the San Francisco Sustainability Plan is successful?
Answer Increase in the number of parks and in the number of department stores
Decrease in the amount of solid waste produced and increase in the size of houses
Improved air conditioning in private homes
Decrease of wastewater produced and increased biodiversity
All of the above
“TO MY PEOPLE.
“We stand upon the meeting of two ways. One leads to Peace and
Comfort, Right and Truth, The other to the very opposite. Which
shall we take, my people, which pursue? I counsel that the first
shall be our choice. Counselling this, I now propose to you, An
altered and a higher constitution, A Magna Charter giving Human
Rights, Not to a few, but unto ev’ryone, The fact of birth into this
life, the sole, The only proof of right to such a claim, Shall be
required, and opportunity To every human being shall be given To
live, and thrive, and never be in want. The Slums of Infantlonia
and elsewhere Must by the law become prohibited. All men must
dwell in decent tenements, In towns there must be gardens for the
people, Each child, no matter what its birth, shall learn To be a
useful member of the state, By being taught a trade, of which it
can Make choice itself approved of by its parents. When work is
scarce, the State must give employment, Not the nigh penal work
of the Poor House, But work where work shall be Co-operative,
Men reaping as they sow, their proper share. Co-operative law
must be the law, Wherever groups of human beings work, It is not
right that one should benefit And on men’s toil become a
millionaire, Reaping where others have not had a share Except in
paltry doles, which we call wage. Vast ownership in land or
property Should bear its duty of ‘wealth in excess,’ And be a
taxable commodity. Wealth must contribute to the public good. A
millionaire is an unjust creation, The base result of wasted human
toil, The offspring of a living Man Machine, Made to produce this
creature’s holiday. Co-operative law disgorges wealth And makes
it useful and distributable, Men who grow rich upon excessive toil,
And give not to that toil its proper share, Are Master Murderer
millionaires, unfit To be the holders of this hoarded wealth,
Which, miser-like, they neither spend nor share. Only one remedy
can heal this sore, It is that which we call Co-operation. So long as
angry Nations stand like dogs, Facing each other with their
grinders showing, Saxscoberland must be prepared for war, And
spend thereon, alas! much of its wealth, But, be it my Life’s task to
advocate The institution of Appealing Courts, Where Arbitration
shall decide disputes And deftly patch up human differences. If
our Erth’s Governments would all agree To melt their armies and
wage bloodless war In all things International; then war Could
never raise its grinning head again, Starved by the disappearance
of its food— The human flocks and herds we breed and raise,
Fatten and decorate expensively, In order to provide this
Monster’s feast. Be it my task to plead that he shall die, My
people, help me to exterminate him. We are the greatest Nation
on our Erth, Surely, if we are earnest in endeavour, We can
accomplish this desired end? Co-operate with me and let us strive,
And we shall be successful in the end. Now to the matter of our
Government, Saxscober calls its ruler a Monarch. What’s in a
word? A mere form of letters. Hereditary is this Monarchy, Yet we
unjustly give the male first call And make the eldest male born our
Monarch. This is unjust. While Primogeniture Is the
acknowledged law of Saxscober, The heir shall be the eldest born,
and sex Should not be made a Disinherited. Let this injustice be
removed at once. And give each Sex equality of rights, Let law
applying to all Succession Be altered to deny sex privilege— Which
we so arrogantly arrogate. Another point connected with this
matter Earnestly demands an alteration, Children should not
usurp a parent’s power; Children should not stand in a parent’s
place. The parents both should be the ruling pow’r, And so remain
until Death takes them hence. ’Tis monstrous that a child should
occupy The place that parent has a right to fill. Out on such
partial, inconsiderate law, Born of immatured brains and puny
thought. The King and Queen should both be reigning powers And
the survivor hold the reins till death. This law, applying as it did of
yore When William, Prince of Citron, was consort— And this law
should apply to all Succession. Perish the unjust law which gives
the child The right to occupy its parent’s place. This being so, let
Monarchs have fair play— Let them be human beings not mere
dolls, Let them have pow’r to vote and speak with you, Let them
be otherwise than dressed-up shapes To be the objects of barbaric
shows. Let the cheers greeting Monarchs be sincere, Given as to a
fellow-worker, pray; Not to mute flesh and blood nonentities But
part of an acting Constitution. Monarchs should not be absolute,
but free, Co-operation be the principle. I counsel, too, the House
of Bores should be Elective like the House of Commonpersons,
And that no Righ or Ardrigh have a seat Claiming such as our
Spiritual peers. This brings me to the matter of the Church And
the religion which now reigns supreme. There should be no State
Church, but liberty To every man to feel that his own creed Was
not an outcast one and unendowed. Let conscience have its
freedom and all creeds Be self-supporting, not ignored by State,
While one alone is bolstered up as right. I counsel, therefore,
Disestablishment; First giving compensation to the Clergy. Let all
men pray in secret and display Fade, as should fade barbaric
practices. Force not upon your Sovereigns the disgrace Of
swearing false allegiance to a lie, What greater Moral crime than
to exclaim ‘I do believe that which I don’t believe’? Is not such
utterance a sacrilege? Away, my people, with the reign of Lie, Let
Truth prevail, let Honest Truth be law. Another urgent law
requires attention, The Marriage law I mean. Marriage should be
The Act which makes the Man and Woman one, Accompanied by
the solemn declaration ‘I am thy husband and thou art my wife,’ ‘I
am thy wife and thou art my husband,’ Uttered in presence of two
witnesses. This is the law of Scota and is fair, But Saxen law insists
on marriage ties Being tied by its religious ceremony; Which
makes the Woman utter slavish words, Which self-respecting
women hate and loathe And some have absolutely scorned to say.
My Merani refused to utter them And was, in consequence,
adjudg’d unwed By the exacting laws of Saxenland. I say that she
was wed by law of God, And, being wed, was lawfully my wife;
The son she bore is Prince of Scota now, Made so by a late Act of
Parliament, Specially drafted and passed into law At my most
earnest prayer and intercession. It is my hope that our new
Parliament Will sweep away every impediment To civil marriage,
and destroy the law Which forces royalty to wed with such,
Ordaining that the heir shall royal be. ’Tis an unnatural law and
maketh sad The wedded life of many Sovereigns. In all we do let
us be natural, Laws born of selfishness or ignorance Flout Nature
and create unhappiness. Laws, to be fair, must recognise the fact
That all men must have Opportunity, And none shall be a
Disinherited. Parliament is dissolved and I appeal, With all my
heart, unto my countrymen To give me unmistakable response
That my desire for justice shall prevail. By law, my women
subjects cannot vote, More shame to such a law is all I say; Next
Parliament shall sweep that law away And give us one with equal
rights for all. Capacity and Merit are the tests Of human fitness
which should e’er prevail; Nature and circumstances will select
The fittest to perform Life’s many functions, Seek not to force on
women Motherhood— A vast mistake which breeds the puny
Man. Some women are not fit to bear a child, Some men are unfit
to be Sires at all; To breed unhealthy offspring is a Crime Which
our religion has concealed from men. To bring disease into the
world is bad, To force this on a child is a foul shame. It is a sacred
trust which Nature gives, That trust of giving Life, and should
command The reverence of those to whom ’tis giv’n; Let this be
plainly taught to either sex, Bring up the sexes to respect each
other. Give lessons in the schools how Health is made And how
’tis kept, and how it bringeth joy. When Men believe that sickness
need not be, That human beings can be well and strong By living
lives in keeping with good sense, A Nation of fair beings will arise
With senses purified and thought increased— And knowledge
drawing nearer day by day To those veiled secrets of the Universe
Which we believe so foolishly are closed, And hidden mysteries for
aye and aye; Hidden from feeble sight and clouded brain, From
Thought as yet in an imperfect state, But when the Mind becomes
a mighty pow’r Its eyes will penetrate the misty veil And clearly
read what now it cannot do. Let education, therefore, elevate; Let
it accomplish a vast revolution By giving children Nature’s noble
truths, And focussing them on their pliant brains. Teach Kindness
in the schools. Before all things Teach its vast virtue to the
youthful mind. Let the religion taught, be just this thing Mingled
with Justice, Fair Play and Sweet Love; Love to all things that feel
and, like ourselves, Are sentient and possess the gift of Life.
Perish, Cold Cruelty! the hugest bar To Progress and Perfection
on this Erth. Thus, have I spoken to my countrymen, And ask
them to return a Parliament Which shall not fear to work for
Evolution; Strike down oppressive laws, creating those Which
shall inaugurate The Golden Age Of Peace, Good Health and
Happiness to all— That living Life for which Isola died.”
[Loud and prolonged cheers.
Vergli. “This is King Hector’s message, countrymen, In which the
Spirit of Isola breathes— A Spirit whose chief element was love,
Love the Creator of true happiness. Let this appeal go forth
throughout the world And pierce into the brains and hearts of
men. It shall prevail, because it is The Truth. It shall bear fruit,
because it is pure seed. It shall establish its real Sovereignty,
Because it is Reality not Sham. If all true hearts declare it shall
prevail And work to bring about the Victory, That Victory will
come with leaps and bounds, And bring rejoicing into ev’ry heart.
Ah! yes, it will come. It was prophesied By lips whose last word
echoed Victory, It was Isola’s message to the world Wherever
moan The Disinherited. Arouse, ye Children of Saxscoberland,
Hark to her Spirit speaking out aloud. The sound is Hector’s but
his words are hers, His Message but the Echo of Isola’s.”
[As Vergli ceases speaking, the immense audience rises and cheers
him again and again with intense enthusiasm. Acquiescence in
the King’s wishes is carried unanimously, and the meeting comes
to an end.
“RESULTANT.”
Once, long ago, Death came and took my soul And bore it far away
through boundless space, And left Earth turning round within
that space Moving along its path of Evolution. “Where takest thou
me, Death?” my soul enquired. “To look on Life where perfect
laws prevail,” Made answer he whom my Earth fears so much.
And so I sped with Death on to a world Where everywhere Love
and Delight prevailed. Death called it Erth. It was like my own
Earth, And yet how different in every way. Everywhere Peace
prevailed and Love enthralled, The Men were handsome and the
Women fair. Bright fields of waving grain and fruits and flow’rs
Made beautiful the human dwelling-places. There was no blood
apparent anywhere— The moans of vivisected animals, The
groans of millions slaughtered to make food, The awful cruelties
of War and Strife, Had no existence on this planet Erth. Women
and Men did not disgrace each other, But revelled in a sweet
companionship, Sharing in all things as the sexes should. The
children’s schools did not divide each sex But taught to both a
pure and natural law, So that the very thought, in after-life, Of
Prostitution had no place or part Within the brains of Nature’s
true nurselings. Health was apparent in the multitude; Vast
kitchens, groaning stomachs were unknown; Hunger alone
proclaimed the feeding hour And pure and bloodless food gave
sustenance, Partaken of in moderation and Never indulged in
after hunger ceased. On Erth the secret of Real Health was known,
To eat as Nature bade and not to gorge. And everywhere pure air
prevailed and dwelt By night and day within a people’s lungs, And
dwelling-places overlooked fair scenes, The people living on their
own loved land And drawing from its nurture health and strength.
There lived on this bright Erth a King and Queen Whose names
were Escanior and Isola, Who loved each other, whom the people
loved And who in turn truly loved their people. Said Death unto
my Soul: “In ages past Thought woke the mind of Isola the first,
She whom the Erthians call their deathless Queen, Because the
Spirit which lit up her mind Lives on and permeates the whole of
Erth. This Isola lived when this Erth was gross, Cruel and Sensual,
and fed on lies. She, too, loved a fair youth—Escanior called—
Whom uncouth men murdered before her eyes, Giving her to a
King to be his slave, And hold degrading post as Consort Queen.
But Isola’s spirit would not be a slave, And so with others she
opposed foul Wrong And, dying for the Right, won the King’s
heart To raise aloft the flag of Evolution. Rest here awhile and I
will tell the tale Of how Isola lived, and ruled, and died; But lives
again in the resultant thought Which found its birth in her
evolving pow’r.” I sat and listened while Death told the tale, And
learned how Erth had answered Hector’s prayer, And given him
and Vergli, and Vulnar The pow’r to build on Erth a perfect State
Which it has been my joy to look upon, And which here, or
elsewhere, I’ll see again. For Thought is Life, it cannot die, it lives,
And, in my Memory, I see that scene, Not in a dream but in
Reality, When Vision wakes to Life my Thoughtful Soul. As Erth
is, so shall this Earth be in time When Men believe the words of
Isola.
COMPANION VOLUME TO IJAIN.
IJAIN;
or,
“When Ijain first threw down her play-things and began to regard
the world on her own account, with her new, not second-hand, type
of mind, she found, to her distress, that, before she had come into
the world at all, everything had been cut and dried for her. The
thinking had all been done for her by heads in the grave; and, to
question the findings of those heads in the grave meant obloquy
here, and hell elsewhere.
“Ijain laid down these play-things that she might, without undue
distraction, think this finality over—and it did not meet with her
endorsement. There was nothing in her of the rebel for rebellion’s
sake; but there was much in her of the mettle of the martyr for
Truth’s sake. She adopted the more than Golden Rule, ‘To thine own
self be true.’ She took it for granted that it is with our own individual
faculties we must work out our own salvation, and that not with fear
and trembling, but with modest self-reliance and simple sincerity.
She precociously grasped the principle of Human Brotherhood,
involving a repudiation of all racial and credal prejudice. In the
whole composition of the little heroine there is no vestige of the
braggart. There is the mortification of finding herself in an
environment in which all the vital questions of existence had been
finally settled thousands of years before she had been born, and that
by credulous hierophants thousands of years behind the highest tide-
mark of the intelligence of the present hour.
“And, even were the orthodox deity taken for granted, with her
girlish heart and tender sympathy with every living creature, Ijain’s
whole nature rose in revolt against the savage truculence of the deity
of the churches. She, instinctively, endorsed the sentiments of the
philosopher of Ferney:—
‘Whoever dares to say “God has spoken to me,” is criminal
before God and men; for would God, the common father of all
men, have communicated himself to an individual? God to walk!
God to talk! God to write upon a little mountain! God to become
man! God-man to die upon the cross! Ideas worthy of a Punch!
To invent all these things is the last degree of rascality; to believe
them, the extreme of brutal stupidity!’
“Yes, Ijain, if, in the reading of the Riddle of the Universe, we must
postulate deity, let us have God expressive of the ripest knowledge,
the loftiest aspirations, the most transcendental spiritual vision of
modern humanity, not the coarse and barbaric eidolon of credulous
and unlettered savages. In respect of our intelligence, in mercy upon
our feelings, give us God up to date.
PUBLISHERS:
The Leadenhall Press, Ltd: 50, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C.
Charles Scribner’s Sons, 153–157, Fifth Avenue, New York.